KANSAS CITY —A Jackson County judge sentenced a Kansas City man to 10 years in prison for a shooting that caused serious physical injury to a juvenile, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

Jeremy Brown, Jr., 21, pled guilty to Unlawful Use of a Weapon last year.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2484/2216-CR03767-01---Jeremy-Brown---PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Lee’s Summit Police officers were dispatched to the 1500 block of SW Arbor Creek Drive in Lee’s Summit on August 15, 2022, and made contact with a juvenile suffering a gunshot wound to his lower back.&nbsp;

At the scene with the victim were three other juveniles who said they had a confrontation with another juvenile who drives a white Ford Escape. After the confrontation, the juveniles left the area in a vehicle and said they were being chased by the juvenile driving the white Ford Escape. When they were around the area of SW Kline, they said someone from the Ford Escape, later identified as Brown, began shooting at them and the victim was struck.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737148558985.png" alt="Brown photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Brown photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Jackson County judge sentenced a Kansas City man to 10 years in prison for a shooting that caused serious physical injury to a juvenile, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.Jeremy Brown, Jr., 21, pled guilty to Unlawful Use of a Weapon last year.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2484/2216-CR03767-01---Jeremy-Brown---PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Lee’s Summit Police officers were dispatched to the 1500 block of SW Arbor Creek Drive in Lee’s Summit on August 15, 2022, and made contact with a juvenile suffering a gunshot wound to his lower back.&nbsp;At the scene with the victim were three other juveniles who said they had a confrontation with another juvenile who drives a white Ford Escape. After the confrontation, the juveniles left the area in a vehicle and said they were being chased by the juvenile driving the white Ford Escape. When they were around the area of SW Kline, they said someone from the Ford Escape, later identified as Brown, began shooting at them and the victim was struck.&nbsp;

Prison for chasing down, shooting juvenile in Kansas City

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday demanded an apology from the Episcopal bishop of Washington after she made a direct appeal to him during a prayer service marking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-biden-democracy-power-00d5651a0ac611c2c6e3b555c4a8ad11">his inauguration</a>&nbsp;to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and migrant workers who are in the United States illegally.

Referencing Trump’s belief that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dac_uOOKL-Q">he was saved by God</a>&nbsp;from assassination, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde said, “You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”

After he returned to the White House, Trump said, “I didn't think it was a good service” and “they could do much better.” But later, in an overnight post on his social media site, he sharply criticized the “so-called Bishop” as a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”

“She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,” said Trump, a Republican, adding that Budde didn't mention that some migrants have come to the United States and killed people.

“Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job!” Trump said. “She and her church owe the public an apology!”

A cathedral spokesperson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Wednesday.

The Trump administration has already issued executive orders rolling back&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sex-gender-transgender-dei-order-245350b97e0c4dcc221fefc49ef44699">transgender rights</a>&nbsp;and toughening&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportation-immigration-homan-asylum-inauguration-ac10480dc636b758ab3c435b974aeb19">immigration policies</a>.

The Washington National Cathedral service was largely focused on national unity. Trump and Vice President JD Vance and their families attended, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump's defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth.

In her sermon, Budde said they gathered “to pray for unity as a people and a nation — not for agreement, political or otherwise — but for the kind of unity that fosters community across diversity and division.”

Evangelicals were at the service but not on the program

More than a dozen religious leaders spoke during the interfaith service, including those from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu traditions.

Notably absent from the invited clergy with speaking roles were conservative evangelicals, who are among Trump’s strongest supporters.

Nonetheless, some of those evangelical supporters were in the pews.

In attendance were Robert Jeffress, a longtime Trump supporter and pastor of Dallas’ First Baptist Church; Paula White-Cain, a televangelist and key spiritual adviser during Trump’s first term; and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sewell-benediction-king-dream-a9550188ef39184a2d5fd14b67843a28">Lorenzo Sewell</a>, the pastor of Detroit’s 180 Church, who gave a spirited benediction at Monday’s inauguration.

The Washington National Cathedral has hosted 10 official inaugural prayer services for presidents of both major political parties. The tradition dates back to 1933.

The latest service had a different emphasis than previous ones. Its focus was on the nation instead of the new administration — a plan made before Election Day.

“We are in a unique moment in our country’s history, and it is time to approach this differently,” said the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith, dean of the Episcopal cathedral, in an October statement. “This will be a service for all Americans, for the well-being of our nation, for our democracy.”

The texts and songs revolved around themes of compassion and togetherness, including a reading from Deuteronomy 10:17-21, which speaks of taking care of orphans and widows and all who are in need.

Sermons at inaugural services have often been given by ministers aligned with the incoming administration. In 2021, the Rev. William Barber, a progressive civil rights leader, preached before President Joe Biden, a Democrat, at the cathedral.

Budde, who gave this year’s sermon, has joined other cathedral leaders in criticizing Trump previously,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2d1c74038bbe48a4af2e0807a5b49e52">rebuking</a>&nbsp;his “racialized rhetoric” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/faith-leaders-including-trump-allies-condemn-capitol-riot-958fbf612ab94cd9fa1f0f3738eb90dc">blaming</a>&nbsp;him for inciting violence on Jan. 6, 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of his supporters</a>&nbsp;attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep him in power.

Budde was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-mn-state-wire-politics-09f54acd0aadf861ea3aadc5b79c0fd8">“outraged”</a>&nbsp;in 2020 after Trump staged an appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is near the White House. He held up a Bible after the area had been cleared of peaceful protesters.

Her sermon directed at Trump on Tuesday provoked a lively reaction on social media. Austen Ivereigh, a biographer of Pope Francis, wrote on X that the bishop “named the truth” when she spoke to Trump and Vance. “Their expressions of fury and discomfort suggest she nailed it,” Ivereigh said.

Jeffress, in contrast, posted on X that Budde “insulted rather than encouraged our great president” and that “there was palpable disgust in the audience with her words.”

The one part of Tuesday's service that seemed tailor-made for Trump was the inclusion of opera singer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/christopher-macchio-inauguration-national-anthem-trump-9ba855e4802789e18d3fc86b321b5e86">Christopher Macchio</a>, who also sang the national anthem at the inauguration.

The tenor sang “Ave Maria,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-town-hall-concern-dancing-24290775c8e11223fde1d440a7a5cf7c">a favorite song</a>&nbsp;of Trump and one that Macchio sang at a Trump rally and the Republican National Convention.

Before the service began, Macchio performed hymns like “How Great Thou Art” and another Trump favorite, “Hallelujah,” written by Leonard Cohen.

As the prayer service neared its end, Trump joined others in singing “America the Beautiful.”

Trump also thanked many of the clergy members who participated as they processed past him — except for Budde, whom he did not acknowledge.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737558352400.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday demanded an apology from the Episcopal bishop of Washington after she made a direct appeal to him during a prayer service marking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-biden-democracy-power-00d5651a0ac611c2c6e3b555c4a8ad11">his inauguration</a>&nbsp;to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and migrant workers who are in the United States illegally.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepLisaMcClain?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepLisaMcClain</a> on Mariann Edgar Budde&#39;s remarks at the National Prayer Service: &quot;The Bishop was extreme in her views, extremely out of line and out of touch. What she did was uncalled for. Perhaps we should pray for her.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/lxXiOHFVYR">pic.twitter.com/lxXiOHFVYR</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1882086652748898555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Referencing Trump’s belief that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dac_uOOKL-Q">he was saved by God</a>&nbsp;from assassination, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde said, “You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde: &quot;The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors...may I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/iXaHJrPsof">pic.twitter.com/iXaHJrPsof</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1881761682944397728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>After he returned to the White House, Trump said, “I didn't think it was a good service” and “they could do much better.” But later, in an overnight post on his social media site, he sharply criticized the “so-called Bishop” as a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737573998569.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,” said Trump, a Republican, adding that Budde didn't mention that some migrants have come to the United States and killed people.“Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job!” Trump said. “She and her church owe the public an apology!”A cathedral spokesperson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Wednesday.The Trump administration has already issued executive orders rolling back&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sex-gender-transgender-dei-order-245350b97e0c4dcc221fefc49ef44699">transgender rights</a>&nbsp;and toughening&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportation-immigration-homan-asylum-inauguration-ac10480dc636b758ab3c435b974aeb19">immigration policies</a>.The Washington National Cathedral service was largely focused on national unity. Trump and Vice President JD Vance and their families attended, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump's defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth.In her sermon, Budde said they gathered “to pray for unity as a people and a nation — not for agreement, political or otherwise — but for the kind of unity that fosters community across diversity and division.”She added, “Unity is not partisan.”<h2>Evangelicals were at the service but not on the program</h2>More than a dozen religious leaders spoke during the interfaith service, including those from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu traditions.Notably absent from the invited clergy with speaking roles were conservative evangelicals, who are among Trump’s strongest supporters.Nonetheless, some of those evangelical supporters were in the pews.In attendance were Robert Jeffress, a longtime Trump supporter and pastor of Dallas’ First Baptist Church; Paula White-Cain, a televangelist and key spiritual adviser during Trump’s first term; and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sewell-benediction-king-dream-a9550188ef39184a2d5fd14b67843a28">Lorenzo Sewell</a>, the pastor of Detroit’s 180 Church, who gave a spirited benediction at Monday’s inauguration.<h2>A new kind of inaugural prayer service</h2>The Washington National Cathedral has hosted 10 official inaugural prayer services for presidents of both major political parties. The tradition dates back to 1933.The latest service had a different emphasis than previous ones. Its focus was on the nation instead of the new administration — a plan made before Election Day.“We are in a unique moment in our country’s history, and it is time to approach this differently,” said the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith, dean of the Episcopal cathedral, in an October statement. “This will be a service for all Americans, for the well-being of our nation, for our democracy.”The texts and songs revolved around themes of compassion and togetherness, including a reading from Deuteronomy 10:17-21, which speaks of taking care of orphans and widows and all who are in need.Sermons at inaugural services have often been given by ministers aligned with the incoming administration. In 2021, the Rev. William Barber, a progressive civil rights leader, preached before President Joe Biden, a Democrat, at the cathedral.Budde, who gave this year’s sermon, has joined other cathedral leaders in criticizing Trump previously,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2d1c74038bbe48a4af2e0807a5b49e52">rebuking</a>&nbsp;his “racialized rhetoric” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/faith-leaders-including-trump-allies-condemn-capitol-riot-958fbf612ab94cd9fa1f0f3738eb90dc">blaming</a>&nbsp;him for inciting violence on Jan. 6, 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of his supporters</a>&nbsp;attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep him in power.Budde was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-mn-state-wire-politics-09f54acd0aadf861ea3aadc5b79c0fd8">“outraged”</a>&nbsp;in 2020 after Trump staged an appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is near the White House. He held up a Bible after the area had been cleared of peaceful protesters.Her sermon directed at Trump on Tuesday provoked a lively reaction on social media. Austen Ivereigh, a biographer of Pope Francis, wrote on X that the bishop “named the truth” when she spoke to Trump and Vance. “Their expressions of fury and discomfort suggest she nailed it,” Ivereigh said.Jeffress, in contrast, posted on X that Budde “insulted rather than encouraged our great president” and that “there was palpable disgust in the audience with her words.”<h2>Music made for Trump</h2>The one part of Tuesday's service that seemed tailor-made for Trump was the inclusion of opera singer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/christopher-macchio-inauguration-national-anthem-trump-9ba855e4802789e18d3fc86b321b5e86">Christopher Macchio</a>, who also sang the national anthem at the inauguration.The tenor sang “Ave Maria,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-town-hall-concern-dancing-24290775c8e11223fde1d440a7a5cf7c">a favorite song</a>&nbsp;of Trump and one that Macchio sang at a Trump rally and the Republican National Convention.Before the service began, Macchio performed hymns like “How Great Thou Art” and another Trump favorite, “Hallelujah,” written by Leonard Cohen.As the prayer service neared its end, Trump joined others in singing “America the Beautiful.”Trump also thanked many of the clergy members who participated as they processed past him — except for Budde, whom he did not acknowledge.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Trump wants apology from bishop after lecture at church service

JOHNSON COUNTY —According to Olathe Police, Gary Wallace has been found and is safe.

JOHNSON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Olathe man.

The whereabouts of 76-year-old Gary Wallace are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him. Wallace was last seen driving a white 2010 Honda CRV bearing Kansas tag 4790SHP at the Price Chopper at W. Santa Fe St. and K-7 highway.

Wallace is a white male who is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds. He has blue eyes and brown hair. Wallace was last seen wearing a black coat, black pants, black shoes, a Rolex watch and rings.

If you see Gary Wallace, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, call the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at 913-782-0720.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737587797846.png" alt="Wallace-photo Olathe Police" />
 <figcaption>Wallace-photo Olathe Police</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —According to Olathe Police, Gary Wallace has been found and is safe.-------------JOHNSON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Olathe man.The whereabouts of 76-year-old Gary Wallace are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him. Wallace was last seen driving a white 2010 Honda CRV bearing Kansas tag 4790SHP at the Price Chopper at W. Santa Fe St. and K-7 highway.Wallace is a white male who is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds. He has blue eyes and brown hair. Wallace was last seen wearing a black coat, black pants, black shoes, a Rolex watch and rings.If you see Gary Wallace, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, call the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at 913-782-0720.

Police: Silver Alert canceled; missing Kansas man found

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas felon found guilty in a fatal shooting that occurred just days after his release from prison was delayed to February 18, before Judge Jeffrey Goering,&nbsp;according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Jeremy Miles, 36, Wichita, was charged with 1st degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

Just before 11a.m. Aug. 30, 2023, police were dispatched to a reported shooting at an apartment complex in the 2000 block of S. Seneca in Wichita, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.&nbsp;

First responders&nbsp; located&nbsp;69-year-old James Gibson of Wichita with gunshot wounds inside an apartment. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Police&nbsp; arrested&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=22921">Miles</a>&nbsp;and jailed him on a bond of $500,000. He has three previous convictions for aggravated robbery and one for criminal possession of a weapon by a felon and had been placed on In-State Post Release just a week before the murder, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693488696173.png" alt="Miles photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Miles photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas felon found guilty in a fatal shooting that occurred just days after his release from prison was delayed to February 18, before Judge Jeffrey Goering,&nbsp;according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Jeremy Miles, 36, Wichita, was charged with 1st degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.Just before 11a.m. Aug. 30, 2023, police were dispatched to a reported shooting at an apartment complex in the 2000 block of S. Seneca in Wichita, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.&nbsp;First responders&nbsp; located&nbsp;69-year-old James Gibson of Wichita with gunshot wounds inside an apartment. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;Police&nbsp; arrested&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=22921">Miles</a>&nbsp;and jailed him on a bond of $500,000. He has three previous convictions for aggravated robbery and one for criminal possession of a weapon by a felon and had been placed on In-State Post Release just a week before the murder, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

Sentencing delayed for Kan. murder a week after release from prison

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A female student was killed and another student was wounded Wednesday in a shooting in a Nashville high school cafeteria, nearly two years after another deadly school shooting in the city that ignited an emotional debate about gun control in Tennessee.

The 17-year-old shooter, who was also a student at Antioch High School, later shot and killed himself with a handgun, Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron said during a news conference. Police identified him as Solomon Henderson.

Police Chief John Drake said the shooter “confronted” a 16-year-old female student in the cafeteria and opened fire, killing her. Police identified her as Josselin Corea Escalante. Drake said police are looking into a motive and whether he targeted the specific students he shot.

The male student who was wounded suffered a graze and was treated and released from the hospital, Drake said. Another student was taken to a hospital for treatment of a facial injury that happened during a fall, Aaron said.

There were two school resource officers in the building when the shooting happened around 11 a.m. CDT, Aaron said. They were not in the immediate vicinity of the cafeteria and by the time they got down there the shooting was over and the gunman had killed himself, Aaron said.

The school has about 2,000 students and is located in Antioch, a neighborhood about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of downtown Nashville.

At a family safety center close to a hospital, officials were helping shocked parents to reunite with their children.

Dajuan Bernard was waiting at a Mapco service station to reunite with his son, a 10th grader, who was being held in the auditorium with other students on Wednesday afternoon. He first heard of the shooting from his son who “was a little startled,” Bernard said. His son was upstairs from the cafeteria but said he heard the gunfire.

“He was OK and let me know that everything was OK,” Bernard said.

“This world is so crazy, it could happen anywhere," he said. "We’ve just got to protect the kids, and raise the kids right to prevent them from even doing this. That’s the hardest part.”

Fonda Abner, whose granddaughter is a student at the school, said Antioch High does not have metal detectors that would alert officials to the presence of a gun. She said her granddaughter had called her a couple of times but that she only heard commotion and thought it was a pocket dial. They spoke briefly before being cut off.

“It’s nerve-wracking waiting out here,” Abner said.

Adrienne Battle, superintendent of Nashville schools, said public schools have implemented a “range of safety measures," including partnerships with police for school resource officers, security cameras with weapon-detection software, shatter-resistant film for glass, and security vestibules that are a barrier between outside visitors and the main entrance.

“Unfortunately, these measures were not enough to stop this tragedy,” Battle said.

She noted that there are questions about whether stationary metal detectors should be considered.

“While past research has shown they have had limitations and unintended consequences, we will continue to explore emerging technologies and strategies to strengthen school safety,” Battle said.

In October, a 16-year-old Antioch High School student was arrested after school resource officers and school officials discovered through social media that he had taken a gun to school the prior day. When he was stopped the following morning, officials found a loaded gun in his pants, police said.

Wednesday’s school shooting comes nearly two years after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school-03aa394109a5e682877403c0c3e52aa7">a shooter opened fire at a separate Nashville private elementary school</a>&nbsp;and killed six people, including three children.

The tragedy prompted a monthslong effort among hundreds of community organizers, families, protesters and many more pleading with lawmakers to consider passing gun control measures in response to the shooting.

However, in a Republican-dominant state, GOP lawmakers refused to do so. With the Republican supermajority intact after November’s election, it’s unlikely attitudes have changed enough to consider any meaningful bills that would address gun control.

Instead, lawmakers have been more open to adding more security to schools — including passing a bill last year that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-arming-teachers-guns-2d7d80fa1f54f8f9585a6d2e98fec9fd">allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds</a>, and bar parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed.

Antioch, a growing and diverse area of Nashville, has endured other prominent shootings in recent years. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f56b445a4e54468caff28c1844c55aa4">2017 fatal shooting</a>&nbsp;at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ killed one woman and wounded seven people. And in 2018, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b0da52acd5374c28a2495291b0819387">shooter killed four people at a Waffle House</a>.

State Rep. Shaundelle Brooks ran for office in large part due to her son’s death in the Waffle House shooting and was elected last year after the Covenant shooting. She said the Antioch High shooting reinforces the need for gun control reforms. “We must do better,” she said.

“Ever since I lost my son, Akilah, in a mass shooting in 2018, I have been fighting to ensure this never happens again,” the Nashville Democrat said in a statement. “Here we are almost 7 years later, and our communities are still being impacted by gun violence.”

Samantha Dickerson had taken her 14-year-old son’s phone away as a punishment, so when she got a message from his school about the shooting, she had no way to reach him.

“I was nervous,” she said. “I really was about to break down.”

After about three hours of waiting, she finally got a call from his English teacher and spoke with her son.

“When I heard his voice, I just broke down and started crying,” she said.

Associated Press writers Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A female student was killed and another student was wounded Wednesday in shooting in a Nashville high school cafeteria, police said.

The 17-year-old shooter, who was also a student at Antioch High School, later shot and killed himself, Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron said during a news conference.

The student who was wounded in the shooting suffered a graze, Aaron said.

A spokesperson for Vanderbilt University Medical Center told TV station News 2 that another student was taken to Vanderbilt Pediatrics for treatment of an eye injury that happened after the shooting.

Aaron said there were two school resource officers in the building when the shooting happened. They were not in the immediate vicinity of the cafeteria where the shooting took place, and by the time they got down there, the shooting had stopped and the shooter had used a handgun to kill himself, Aaron said.

School officials asked parents not to go to the high school to pick up their children but to go to a nearby hospital instead. Students were being bused there as they were released from the school by police.

At the hospital being used as a reunification center, officials were helping shocked parents to get back with their children.

Dajuan Bernard was waiting at a Mapco service station to reunite with his son, a 10th grader, who was being held in the auditorium with other students on Wednesday afternoon. He first heard of the shooting from his son who “was a little startled,” Bernard said. His son was upstairs from where it took place but said he heard the gunfire.

“His mom wants to homeschool anyway, so I don’t know. We might consider it,” he said. “This world is so crazy, it could happen anywhere. We’ve just got to protect the kids, and raise the kids right to prevent them from even doing this. That’s the hardest part.”

Antioch has endured other prominent shootings in recent years. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f56b445a4e54468caff28c1844c55aa4">2017 fatal shooting</a>&nbsp;at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ killed one woman and wounded seven people. And in 2018, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b0da52acd5374c28a2495291b0819387">shooter killed four people at a Waffle House</a>.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say one person is dead and two others have been wounded by gunfire at a Nashville high school.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson John Howser says one person is dead after the shooting at Antioch High School on Wednesday. Howser says two others were taken to the hospital with injuries.

The school has about 2,000 students and is located in a neighborhood of Nashville about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of downtown.

The shooter is believed to have shot two students before shooting themself, according to spolice spokesperson April Weatherly, who could not immediately say if the shooter was a student.

School officials are asking parents not to go to the high school to pick up their children. They were asked to go to a nearby hospital instead. Students will be bused there as they are released from the school by police.

The FBI in Nashville referred questions to the Metro Nashville Police Department, which is leading the investigation, spokesperson Elizabeth Clement-Webb said in an email. She said Nashville police had not asked for the FBI's help in the investigation as of early Wednesday afternoon.

School shootings have been top of mind in Nashville. In March 2023, a shooter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-covenant-school-shooting-children-killed-75c11745c54edb9691f3d41455de11c5">killed three 9-year-olds and three adults</a>&nbsp;at a private Christian elementary school in the city, The Covenant School.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — At least two students were wounded by gunfire at a Nashville high school Wednesday but the situation has been contained, police said.&nbsp;

Metro Nashville Police spokesperson April Weatherly could not immediately provide details of the conditions of those who were shot at Antioch High School.

The shooter is believed to have shot two students before shooting themself, according to Weatherly, who could not immediately say if the shooter was a student.

The FBI in Nashville referred questions to the Metro Nashville Police Department, which is leading the investigation, spokesperson Elizabeth Clement-Webb said in an email. She did not immediately confirm if the FBI has been asked to help with the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737571069866.jpeg" alt="Photo Metro Nashville Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Metro Nashville Police</figcaption>
 </figure>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A female student was killed and another student was wounded Wednesday in a shooting in a Nashville high school cafeteria, nearly two years after another deadly school shooting in the city that ignited an emotional debate about gun control in Tennessee.The 17-year-old shooter, who was also a student at Antioch High School, later shot and killed himself with a handgun, Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron said during a news conference. Police identified him as Solomon Henderson.Police Chief John Drake said the shooter “confronted” a 16-year-old female student in the cafeteria and opened fire, killing her. Police identified her as Josselin Corea Escalante. Drake said police are looking into a motive and whether he targeted the specific students he shot.The male student who was wounded suffered a graze and was treated and released from the hospital, Drake said. Another student was taken to a hospital for treatment of a facial injury that happened during a fall, Aaron said.There were two school resource officers in the building when the shooting happened around 11 a.m. CDT, Aaron said. They were not in the immediate vicinity of the cafeteria and by the time they got down there the shooting was over and the gunman had killed himself, Aaron said.The school has about 2,000 students and is located in Antioch, a neighborhood about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of downtown Nashville.At a family safety center close to a hospital, officials were helping shocked parents to reunite with their children.Dajuan Bernard was waiting at a Mapco service station to reunite with his son, a 10th grader, who was being held in the auditorium with other students on Wednesday afternoon. He first heard of the shooting from his son who “was a little startled,” Bernard said. His son was upstairs from the cafeteria but said he heard the gunfire.“He was OK and let me know that everything was OK,” Bernard said.“This world is so crazy, it could happen anywhere," he said. "We’ve just got to protect the kids, and raise the kids right to prevent them from even doing this. That’s the hardest part.”Fonda Abner, whose granddaughter is a student at the school, said Antioch High does not have metal detectors that would alert officials to the presence of a gun. She said her granddaughter had called her a couple of times but that she only heard commotion and thought it was a pocket dial. They spoke briefly before being cut off.“It’s nerve-wracking waiting out here,” Abner said.Adrienne Battle, superintendent of Nashville schools, said public schools have implemented a “range of safety measures," including partnerships with police for school resource officers, security cameras with weapon-detection software, shatter-resistant film for glass, and security vestibules that are a barrier between outside visitors and the main entrance.“Unfortunately, these measures were not enough to stop this tragedy,” Battle said.She noted that there are questions about whether stationary metal detectors should be considered.“While past research has shown they have had limitations and unintended consequences, we will continue to explore emerging technologies and strategies to strengthen school safety,” Battle said.In October, a 16-year-old Antioch High School student was arrested after school resource officers and school officials discovered through social media that he had taken a gun to school the prior day. When he was stopped the following morning, officials found a loaded gun in his pants, police said.Wednesday’s school shooting comes nearly two years after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school-03aa394109a5e682877403c0c3e52aa7">a shooter opened fire at a separate Nashville private elementary school</a>&nbsp;and killed six people, including three children.The tragedy prompted a monthslong effort among hundreds of community organizers, families, protesters and many more pleading with lawmakers to consider passing gun control measures in response to the shooting.However, in a Republican-dominant state, GOP lawmakers refused to do so. With the Republican supermajority intact after November’s election, it’s unlikely attitudes have changed enough to consider any meaningful bills that would address gun control.Instead, lawmakers have been more open to adding more security to schools — including passing a bill last year that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-arming-teachers-guns-2d7d80fa1f54f8f9585a6d2e98fec9fd">allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds</a>, and bar parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed.Antioch, a growing and diverse area of Nashville, has endured other prominent shootings in recent years. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f56b445a4e54468caff28c1844c55aa4">2017 fatal shooting</a>&nbsp;at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ killed one woman and wounded seven people. And in 2018, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b0da52acd5374c28a2495291b0819387">shooter killed four people at a Waffle House</a>.State Rep. Shaundelle Brooks ran for office in large part due to her son’s death in the Waffle House shooting and was elected last year after the Covenant shooting. She said the Antioch High shooting reinforces the need for gun control reforms. “We must do better,” she said.“Ever since I lost my son, Akilah, in a mass shooting in 2018, I have been fighting to ensure this never happens again,” the Nashville Democrat said in a statement. “Here we are almost 7 years later, and our communities are still being impacted by gun violence.”Samantha Dickerson had taken her 14-year-old son’s phone away as a punishment, so when she got a message from his school about the shooting, she had no way to reach him.“I was nervous,” she said. “I really was about to break down.”After about three hours of waiting, she finally got a call from his English teacher and spoke with her son.“When I heard his voice, I just broke down and started crying,” she said.___Associated Press writers Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed.------------NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A female student was killed and another student was wounded Wednesday in shooting in a Nashville high school cafeteria, police said.The 17-year-old shooter, who was also a student at Antioch High School, later shot and killed himself, Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron said during a news conference.The student who was wounded in the shooting suffered a graze, Aaron said.A spokesperson for Vanderbilt University Medical Center told TV station News 2 that another student was taken to Vanderbilt Pediatrics for treatment of an eye injury that happened after the shooting.Aaron said there were two school resource officers in the building when the shooting happened. They were not in the immediate vicinity of the cafeteria where the shooting took place, and by the time they got down there, the shooting had stopped and the shooter had used a handgun to kill himself, Aaron said.The school has about 2,000 students and is located in Antioch, a neighborhood about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of downtown Nashville.School officials asked parents not to go to the high school to pick up their children but to go to a nearby hospital instead. Students were being bused there as they were released from the school by police.At the hospital being used as a reunification center, officials were helping shocked parents to get back with their children.Dajuan Bernard was waiting at a Mapco service station to reunite with his son, a 10th grader, who was being held in the auditorium with other students on Wednesday afternoon. He first heard of the shooting from his son who “was a little startled,” Bernard said. His son was upstairs from where it took place but said he heard the gunfire.“He was OK and let me know that everything was OK,” Bernard said.“His mom wants to homeschool anyway, so I don’t know. We might consider it,” he said. “This world is so crazy, it could happen anywhere. We’ve just got to protect the kids, and raise the kids right to prevent them from even doing this. That’s the hardest part.”Wednesday’s school shooting comes nearly two years after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school-03aa394109a5e682877403c0c3e52aa7">a shooter opened fire at a separate Nashville private elementary school</a>&nbsp;and killed six people, including three children.The tragedy prompted a monthslong effort among hundreds of community organizers, families, protesters and many more pleading with lawmakers to consider passing gun control measures in response to the shooting.However, in a Republican-dominant state, GOP lawmakers refused to do so. With the Republican supermajority intact after November’s election, it’s unlikely attitudes have changed enough to consider any meaningful bills that would address gun control.Instead, lawmakers have been more open to adding more security to schools — including passing a bill last year that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-arming-teachers-guns-2d7d80fa1f54f8f9585a6d2e98fec9fd">allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds</a>, and bar parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed.Antioch has endured other prominent shootings in recent years. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f56b445a4e54468caff28c1844c55aa4">2017 fatal shooting</a>&nbsp;at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ killed one woman and wounded seven people. And in 2018, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b0da52acd5374c28a2495291b0819387">shooter killed four people at a Waffle House</a>.-----------NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say one person is dead and two others have been wounded by gunfire at a Nashville high school.Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson John Howser says one person is dead after the shooting at Antioch High School on Wednesday. Howser says two others were taken to the hospital with injuries.The school has about 2,000 students and is located in a neighborhood of Nashville about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of downtown.The shooter is believed to have shot two students before shooting themself, according to spolice spokesperson April Weatherly, who could not immediately say if the shooter was a student.School officials are asking parents not to go to the high school to pick up their children. They were asked to go to a nearby hospital instead. Students will be bused there as they are released from the school by police.The FBI in Nashville referred questions to the Metro Nashville Police Department, which is leading the investigation, spokesperson Elizabeth Clement-Webb said in an email. She said Nashville police had not asked for the FBI's help in the investigation as of early Wednesday afternoon.School shootings have been top of mind in Nashville. In March 2023, a shooter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-covenant-school-shooting-children-killed-75c11745c54edb9691f3d41455de11c5">killed three 9-year-olds and three adults</a>&nbsp;at a private Christian elementary school in the city, The Covenant School.-----------NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — At least two students were wounded by gunfire at a Nashville high school Wednesday but the situation has been contained, police said.&nbsp;Metro Nashville Police spokesperson April Weatherly could not immediately provide details of the conditions of those who were shot at Antioch High School.The shooter is believed to have shot two students before shooting themself, according to Weatherly, who could not immediately say if the shooter was a student.School officials are asking parents not to go to the high school to pick up their children. They were asked to go to a nearby hospital instead. Students will be bused there as they are released from the school by police.The FBI in Nashville referred questions to the Metro Nashville Police Department, which is leading the investigation, spokesperson Elizabeth Clement-Webb said in an email. She did not immediately confirm if the FBI has been asked to help with the investigation.

Police: Student killed in shooting at Tennessee high school 

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22MIKE%20CATALINI%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By MIKE CATALINI Associated Press</a>

Attorneys general from 22 states sued Tuesday to block President Donald Trump's move to end a century-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birthright-citizenship-immigration-trump-20919d26029cf0f98ecb0dc7f90a066b?user_email=f1f80b83d05203b0b12f92a7868563e8a713af8267c2b8a101b6c67b9a5368c5&amp;utm_medium=Morning_Wire&amp;utm_source=Sailthru_AP&amp;utm_campaign=Morning%20Wire_10%20Dec_2024&amp;utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers">immigration practice known as birthright citizenship</a>&nbsp;guaranteeing that U.S.-born children are citizens regardless of their parents’ status.

Trump's roughly 700-word executive order, issued late Monday, amounts to a fulfillment of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-tariffs-pardons-abortion-prosecutions-riot-72c08269f0a870d20e29033319201e22">something he's talked about during the presidential campaign</a>. But whether it succeeds is far from certain amid what is likely to be a lengthy legal battle over the president's immigration policies and a constitutional right to citizenship.

The Democratic attorneys general and immigrant rights advocates say the question of birthright citizenship is settled law and that while presidents have broad authority, they are not kings.

“The president cannot, with a stroke of a pen, write the 14th Amendment out of existence, period,” New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said.

The White House said it's ready to face the states in court and called the lawsuits “nothing more than an extension of the Left's resistance."

“Radical Leftists can either choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can get on board and work with President Trump," White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a U.S. citizen by birthright and the nation’s first Chinese American elected attorney general, said the lawsuit was personal for him.

“The 14th Amendment says what it means, and it means what it says —- if you are born on American soil, you are an American. Period. Full stop,” he said.

“There is no legitimate legal debate on this question. But the fact that Trump is dead wrong will not prevent him from inflicting serious harm right now on American families like my own.”

At issue in these cases is the right to citizenship granted to anyone born in the U.S., regardless of their parents' immigration status. People in the United States on a tourist or other visa or in the country illegally can become the parents of a citizen if their child is born here.

It's enshrined in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/800b0a2005254ec58369b9564f53be8f">14th Amendment to the Constitution</a>, supporters say. But Trump and allies dispute the reading of the amendment and say there need to be tougher standards on becoming a citizen.

The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship — the principle of jus soli or “right of the soil” — is applied. Most are in the Americas, and Canada and Mexico are among them. Most other countries confer citizenship based on whether at least one parent — jus sanguinis, or “right of blood” — is a citizen, or have a modified form of birthright citizenship that may restrict automatic citizenship to children of parents who are on their territory legally.

Trump's order questions that the 14th Amendment extends citizenship automatically to anyone born in the United States.

Ratified in 1868 in in the aftermath of the Civil War, the 14th Amendment says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

Trump's order asserts that the children of noncitizens are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. It excludes the following people from automatic citizenship: those whose mothers were not legally in the United States and whose fathers were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, and people whose mothers were in the country legally but on a temporary basis and whose fathers were not citizens or legal permanent residents.

It goes on to bar federal agencies from recognizing the citizenship of people in those categories. It takes effect 30 days from Tuesday, on Feb. 19.

It's not clear whether the order would retroactively affect birthright citizens. It says that federal agencies “shall” not issue citizenship documents to the people it excludes or accept other documents from states or local governments.

The 14th Amendment did not always guarantee birthright citizenship to all U.S.-born people. Congress did not authorize citizenship for all Native Americans born in the United States until 1924.

In 1898 an important birthright citizenship case unfolded in the U.S. Supreme Court. The court held that Wong Kim Ark, who was born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants, was a U.S. citizen because he was born in the country. After a trip abroad, he had faced denied reentry by the federal government on the grounds that he wasn't a citizen under the Chinese Exclusion Act.

But some advocates of immigration restrictions have argued that while the case clearly applied to children born to parents who are both legal immigrants, it’s less clear whether it applies to children born to parents without legal status.

The issue of birthright citizenship arose in Arizona — one of the states suing to block Trump's order — during 2011 when Republican lawmakers considered a bill that would have challenged automatic birthright citizenship. Supporters said then that the goal wasn’t to get every state in the nation to enact such a law, but rather to bring the dispute to the courts. The bill never made it out of the Legislature.

What has the reaction to Trump's order been?

In addition to the states, the District of Columbia and San Francisco, immigrant rights groups are also suing to stop Trump's order.

Chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts along with other immigrant rights advocates filed a suit in New Hampshire federal court.

The suit asks the court to find the order to be unconstitutional. It highlights the case of a woman identified as “Carmen,” who is pregnant but is not a citizen. The lawsuit says she has lived in the United States for more than 15 years and has a pending visa application that could lead to permanent status. She has no other immigration status, and the father of her expected child has no immigration status either, the suit says.

“Stripping children of the ‘priceless treasure’ of citizenship is a grave injury,” the suit says. “It denies them the full membership in U.S. society to which they are entitled.”

In addition to New Jersey and the two cities, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin joined the lawsuit to stop the order.

Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington filed a separate suit in federal court challenging Trump's order as well.

Associated Press reporter Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix, David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, Zeke Miller, Rebecca Santana and Mark Sherman in Washington, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737496886454.png" alt="Image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22MIKE%20CATALINI%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By MIKE CATALINI Associated Press</a>Attorneys general from 22 states sued Tuesday to block President Donald Trump's move to end a century-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birthright-citizenship-immigration-trump-20919d26029cf0f98ecb0dc7f90a066b?user_email=f1f80b83d05203b0b12f92a7868563e8a713af8267c2b8a101b6c67b9a5368c5&amp;utm_medium=Morning_Wire&amp;utm_source=Sailthru_AP&amp;utm_campaign=Morning%20Wire_10%20Dec_2024&amp;utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers">immigration practice known as birthright citizenship</a>&nbsp;guaranteeing that U.S.-born children are citizens regardless of their parents’ status.Trump's roughly 700-word executive order, issued late Monday, amounts to a fulfillment of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-tariffs-pardons-abortion-prosecutions-riot-72c08269f0a870d20e29033319201e22">something he's talked about during the presidential campaign</a>. But whether it succeeds is far from certain amid what is likely to be a lengthy legal battle over the president's immigration policies and a constitutional right to citizenship.The Democratic attorneys general and immigrant rights advocates say the question of birthright citizenship is settled law and that while presidents have broad authority, they are not kings.“The president cannot, with a stroke of a pen, write the 14th Amendment out of existence, period,” New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said.The White House said it's ready to face the states in court and called the lawsuits “nothing more than an extension of the Left's resistance."“Radical Leftists can either choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can get on board and work with President Trump," White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said.Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a U.S. citizen by birthright and the nation’s first Chinese American elected attorney general, said the lawsuit was personal for him.“The 14th Amendment says what it means, and it means what it says —- if you are born on American soil, you are an American. Period. Full stop,” he said.“There is no legitimate legal debate on this question. But the fact that Trump is dead wrong will not prevent him from inflicting serious harm right now on American families like my own.”<h2>What is birthright citizenship?</h2>At issue in these cases is the right to citizenship granted to anyone born in the U.S., regardless of their parents' immigration status. People in the United States on a tourist or other visa or in the country illegally can become the parents of a citizen if their child is born here.It's enshrined in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/800b0a2005254ec58369b9564f53be8f">14th Amendment to the Constitution</a>, supporters say. But Trump and allies dispute the reading of the amendment and say there need to be tougher standards on becoming a citizen.The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship — the principle of jus soli or “right of the soil” — is applied. Most are in the Americas, and Canada and Mexico are among them. Most other countries confer citizenship based on whether at least one parent — jus sanguinis, or “right of blood” — is a citizen, or have a modified form of birthright citizenship that may restrict automatic citizenship to children of parents who are on their territory legally.<h2>What does Trump's order say?</h2>Trump's order questions that the 14th Amendment extends citizenship automatically to anyone born in the United States.Ratified in 1868 in in the aftermath of the Civil War, the 14th Amendment says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”Trump's order asserts that the children of noncitizens are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. It excludes the following people from automatic citizenship: those whose mothers were not legally in the United States and whose fathers were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, and people whose mothers were in the country legally but on a temporary basis and whose fathers were not citizens or legal permanent residents.It goes on to bar federal agencies from recognizing the citizenship of people in those categories. It takes effect 30 days from Tuesday, on Feb. 19.It's not clear whether the order would retroactively affect birthright citizens. It says that federal agencies “shall” not issue citizenship documents to the people it excludes or accept other documents from states or local governments.<h2>What is the history of the issue?</h2>The 14th Amendment did not always guarantee birthright citizenship to all U.S.-born people. Congress did not authorize citizenship for all Native Americans born in the United States until 1924.In 1898 an important birthright citizenship case unfolded in the U.S. Supreme Court. The court held that Wong Kim Ark, who was born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants, was a U.S. citizen because he was born in the country. After a trip abroad, he had faced denied reentry by the federal government on the grounds that he wasn't a citizen under the Chinese Exclusion Act.But some advocates of immigration restrictions have argued that while the case clearly applied to children born to parents who are both legal immigrants, it’s less clear whether it applies to children born to parents without legal status.The issue of birthright citizenship arose in Arizona — one of the states suing to block Trump's order — during 2011 when Republican lawmakers considered a bill that would have challenged automatic birthright citizenship. Supporters said then that the goal wasn’t to get every state in the nation to enact such a law, but rather to bring the dispute to the courts. The bill never made it out of the Legislature.<h2>What has the reaction to Trump's order been?</h2>In addition to the states, the District of Columbia and San Francisco, immigrant rights groups are also suing to stop Trump's order.Chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts along with other immigrant rights advocates filed a suit in New Hampshire federal court.The suit asks the court to find the order to be unconstitutional. It highlights the case of a woman identified as “Carmen,” who is pregnant but is not a citizen. The lawsuit says she has lived in the United States for more than 15 years and has a pending visa application that could lead to permanent status. She has no other immigration status, and the father of her expected child has no immigration status either, the suit says.“Stripping children of the ‘priceless treasure’ of citizenship is a grave injury,” the suit says. “It denies them the full membership in U.S. society to which they are entitled.”In addition to New Jersey and the two cities, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin joined the lawsuit to stop the order.Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington filed a separate suit in federal court challenging Trump's order as well.___Associated Press reporter Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix, David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, Zeke Miller, Rebecca Santana and Mark Sherman in Washington, contributed to this report.

Trump in legal fight with states over birthright citizenship

FINNEY COUNTY —A southwest Kansas man has been convicted and sentenced for a violent attack on Mother's Day in Garden City.

According to the Finney County Attorney, 21-year-old Fabian Xavier Rosales was convicted of Attempted 2nd Degree Murder, Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness and Aggravated Domestic Battery.&nbsp; He was sentenced to serve 85 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections with 36-months of post release supervision.

On May 14, police responded to St. Catherine Hospital for a report of an earlier battery and learned that a woman had been involved in a domestic situation with Rosales, according to a media release.

The investigation revealed a physical altercation occurred between the woman and Rosales, in which Rosales allegedly made several threats and caused significant injury to the woman.

Rosales was taken into custody at the hospital without incident.&nbsp; In addition to the prison time he is also subject to 15-years of registration as a violent offender.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684243845155.png" alt="Rosales-photo Finney County" />
 <figcaption>Rosales-photo Finney County</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY —A southwest Kansas man has been convicted and sentenced for a violent attack on Mother's Day in Garden City.According to the Finney County Attorney, 21-year-old Fabian Xavier Rosales was convicted of Attempted 2nd Degree Murder, Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness and Aggravated Domestic Battery.&nbsp; He was sentenced to serve 85 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections with 36-months of post release supervision.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737127288118.png" alt="Rosales-photo KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Rosales-photo KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>On May 14, police responded to St. Catherine Hospital for a report of an earlier battery and learned that a woman had been involved in a domestic situation with Rosales, according to a media release.The investigation revealed a physical altercation occurred between the woman and Rosales, in which Rosales allegedly made several threats and caused significant injury to the woman.Rosales was taken into custody at the hospital without incident.&nbsp; In addition to the prison time he is also subject to 15-years of registration as a violent offender.

SW Kan. man going to prison for Mother's Day attack on a woman

ATCHISON COUNTY —Wreckage from the Monday train derailment has been removed from the main tracks and trains are moving again in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

At 10p.m. Tuesday, the 4th Street crossing in Atchison was reopened.&nbsp;

The cause that derailed approximately seven Union Pacific rail cars and one locomotive is still under investigation. The train crew was taken to local emergency services for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; according to Union Pacific.&nbsp; There was no fire and no other hazards, according to Wilson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737470837622.png" alt="Photo Atchison Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Atchison Police</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Wreckage from the Monday train derailment has been removed from the main tracks and trains are moving again in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.At 10p.m. Tuesday, the 4th Street crossing in Atchison was reopened.&nbsp;The cause that derailed approximately seven Union Pacific rail cars and one locomotive is still under investigation. The train crew was taken to local emergency services for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; according to Union Pacific.&nbsp; There was no fire and no other hazards, according to Wilson.

Wreckage from Kansas train derailment cleaned up

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank.

The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence">fast-evolving AI</a>&nbsp;in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum.

“It’s big money and high quality people,” said Trump, adding that it’s “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential” under his new administration.

Joining Trump fresh off his inauguration at the White House were Masayoshi Son of SoftBank, Sam Altman of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/openai-inc">OpenAI</a>&nbsp;and Larry Ellison of Oracle. All three credited Trump for helping to make the project possible, even though building has already started and the project goes back to 2024.

“This will be the most important project of this era,” said Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

Ellison noted that the data centers are already under construction with 10 being built so far. The chairman of Oracle suggested that the project was also tied to digital health records and would make it easier to treat diseases such as cancer by possibly developing a customized vaccine.

“This is the beginning of golden age,” said Son, referencing Trump’s statement that the U.S. would be in a “golden age” with him back in the White House.

Son, a billionaire based in Japan, already committed in December to invest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-softbank-investment-us-8df47668f894b5d922839d98887bbb0e">$100 billion in U.S. projects</a>&nbsp;over the next four years. He previously committed to $50 billion in new investments ahead of Trump’s first term, which included a large stake in the troubled office-sharing company WeWork.

While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout in data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI, which holds the promise of increasing productivity by automating work but also the risk of displacing jobs if poorly implemented.

The initial plans for Stargate go back to the Biden administration. Tech news outlet The Information first reported on the project in March 2024. OpenAI has long relied on Microsoft data centers to build its AI systems, but it has increasingly signaled an interest in building its own data centers.

OpenAI wrote in a letter to the Biden administration’s Commerce Department last fall that planning and permitting for such projects “can be lengthy and complex, particularly for energy infrastructure.”

Other partners in the project include Microsoft, investor MGX and the chipmakers Arm and NVIDIA, according to separate statements by Oracle and OpenAI.

The push to build data centers predates Trump’s presidency. Last October, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.blackstone.com/insights/article/the-convergence-of-data-centers-and-power-a-generational-investment-opportunity-the-connection/" target="_blank">financial company Blackstone</a>&nbsp;estimated that the U.S. would see $1 trillion invested in data centers over five years, with another $1 trillion being committed internationally.

Those estimates for investments suggest that much of the new capital will go through Stargate as OpenAI has established itself as a sector leader with the 2022 launch of its ChatGPT, a chatbot that captivated the public imagination with its ability to answer complex questions and perform basic business tasks.

The White House has put an emphasis on making it easier to build out new electricity generation in anticipation of AI’s expansion, knowing that the United States is in a competitive race against China to develop a technology increasingly being adopted by businesses.

Still, the regulatory outlook for AI remains somewhat uncertain as Trump on Monday overturned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ai-artificial-intelligence-executive-order-cb86162000d894f238f28ac029005059">the 2023 order</a>&nbsp;signed by then-President Joe Biden to create safety standards and watermarking of AI-generated content, among other goals, in hopes of putting guardrails on the technology’s possible risks to national security and economic well-being.

CBS News first reported that Trump would be announcing the AI investment.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-openai-lawsuit-sam-altman-chatgpt-36bc55dbb8b4f9e1e5675ff7564e5fa0">Trump supporter Elon Musk,</a>&nbsp;worth more than $400 billion, was an early investor in OpenAI but has since challenged its move to for-profit status and has started his own AI company, xAI. Musk is also in charge of the “Department of Government Efficiency” created formally on Monday by Trump with the goal of reducing government spending.

Trump previously in January announced a $20 billion investment by DAMAC Properties in the United Arab Emirates to build data centers tied to AI.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737498403621.png" alt="Joining President Trump at the White House were&nbsp; Larry Ellison of Oracle,&nbsp;Masayoshi Son of SoftBank and Sam Altman of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/openai-inc">OpenAI</a>-image from CSPAN video" />
 <figcaption>Joining President Trump at the White House were&nbsp; Larry Ellison of Oracle,&nbsp;Masayoshi Son of SoftBank and Sam Altman of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/openai-inc">OpenAI</a>-image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump: &quot;Together these world leading technology giants are announcing the formation of Stargate...a new American company that will invest $500 billion at least in AI infrastructure in the United States...creating over 100,000 American jobs.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/tZiFZFtXjP">pic.twitter.com/tZiFZFtXjP</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1881832275689509125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence">fast-evolving AI</a>&nbsp;in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum.“It’s big money and high quality people,” said Trump, adding that it’s “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential” under his new administration.Joining Trump fresh off his inauguration at the White House were Masayoshi Son of SoftBank, Sam Altman of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/openai-inc">OpenAI</a>&nbsp;and Larry Ellison of Oracle. All three credited Trump for helping to make the project possible, even though building has already started and the project goes back to 2024.“This will be the most important project of this era,” said Altman, CEO of OpenAI.Ellison noted that the data centers are already under construction with 10 being built so far. The chairman of Oracle suggested that the project was also tied to digital health records and would make it easier to treat diseases such as cancer by possibly developing a customized vaccine.“This is the beginning of golden age,” said Son, referencing Trump’s statement that the U.S. would be in a “golden age” with him back in the White House.Son, a billionaire based in Japan, already committed in December to invest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-softbank-investment-us-8df47668f894b5d922839d98887bbb0e">$100 billion in U.S. projects</a>&nbsp;over the next four years. He previously committed to $50 billion in new investments ahead of Trump’s first term, which included a large stake in the troubled office-sharing company WeWork.While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout in data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI, which holds the promise of increasing productivity by automating work but also the risk of displacing jobs if poorly implemented.The initial plans for Stargate go back to the Biden administration. Tech news outlet The Information first reported on the project in March 2024. OpenAI has long relied on Microsoft data centers to build its AI systems, but it has increasingly signaled an interest in building its own data centers.OpenAI wrote in a letter to the Biden administration’s Commerce Department last fall that planning and permitting for such projects “can be lengthy and complex, particularly for energy infrastructure.”Other partners in the project include Microsoft, investor MGX and the chipmakers Arm and NVIDIA, according to separate statements by Oracle and OpenAI.The push to build data centers predates Trump’s presidency. Last October, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.blackstone.com/insights/article/the-convergence-of-data-centers-and-power-a-generational-investment-opportunity-the-connection/" target="_blank">financial company Blackstone</a>&nbsp;estimated that the U.S. would see $1 trillion invested in data centers over five years, with another $1 trillion being committed internationally.Those estimates for investments suggest that much of the new capital will go through Stargate as OpenAI has established itself as a sector leader with the 2022 launch of its ChatGPT, a chatbot that captivated the public imagination with its ability to answer complex questions and perform basic business tasks.The White House has put an emphasis on making it easier to build out new electricity generation in anticipation of AI’s expansion, knowing that the United States is in a competitive race against China to develop a technology increasingly being adopted by businesses.Still, the regulatory outlook for AI remains somewhat uncertain as Trump on Monday overturned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ai-artificial-intelligence-executive-order-cb86162000d894f238f28ac029005059">the 2023 order</a>&nbsp;signed by then-President Joe Biden to create safety standards and watermarking of AI-generated content, among other goals, in hopes of putting guardrails on the technology’s possible risks to national security and economic well-being.CBS News first reported that Trump would be announcing the AI investment.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-openai-lawsuit-sam-altman-chatgpt-36bc55dbb8b4f9e1e5675ff7564e5fa0">Trump supporter Elon Musk,</a>&nbsp;worth more than $400 billion, was an early investor in OpenAI but has since challenged its move to for-profit status and has started his own AI company, xAI. Musk is also in charge of the “Department of Government Efficiency” created formally on Monday by Trump with the goal of reducing government spending.Trump previously in January announced a $20 billion investment by DAMAC Properties in the United Arab Emirates to build data centers tied to AI.

Stargate: $500 billion AI infrastructure investment in the US

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a deadly shooting in Wyandotte County.

Just after 2:30a.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 block of S. Valley Street, in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.

First responders discovered a man inside a residence, the victim of apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased on scene. 

This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. Police did not release the name of the victim or report any suspect information. This is the first homicide reported in Kansas City, Kansas in 2025. There were 22 reported in 2024, according to police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737559024633.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a deadly shooting in Wyandotte County.Just after 2:30a.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 block of S. Valley Street, in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.First responders discovered a man inside a residence, the victim of apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased on scene. This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. Police did not release the name of the victim or report any suspect information. This is the first homicide reported in Kansas City, Kansas in 2025. There were 22 reported in 2024, according to police.

Homicide: Man found dead in Kansas home

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;'s administration moved Tuesday to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/diversity-equity-and-inclusion">diversity, equity and inclusion</a>&nbsp;staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/">Click here to read the Executive Order.</a>

The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sex-gender-transgender-dei-order-245350b97e0c4dcc221fefc49ef44699">sweeping dismantling</a>&nbsp;of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs that could touch on everything from anti-bias training to funding for minority farmers and homeowners. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and insisted on restoring strictly “merit-based” hiring.

The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by President Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It’s using one of the key tools utilized by the Biden administration to promote DEI programs across the private sector — pushing their use by federal contractors — to now eradicate them.

The Office of Personnel Management in a Tuesday memo directed agencies to place DEI office staffers on paid leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday and take down all public DEI-focused webpages by the same deadline. Several federal departments had removed the webpages even before the memorandum. Agencies must also cancel any DEI-related training and end any related contracts, and federal workers are being asked to report to Trump's Office of Personnel Management if they suspect any DEI-related program has been renamed to obfuscate its purpose within 10 days or face “adverse consequences.”

By Thursday, federal agencies are directed to compile a list of federal DEI offices and workers as of Election Day. By next Friday, they are expected to develop a plan to execute a “reduction-in-force action” against those federal workers.

The move comes after Monday's executive order accused former President Joe Biden of forcing “discrimination” programs into “virtually all aspects of the federal government” through “diversity, equity and inclusion” programs, known as DEI.

That step is the first salvo in an aggressive campaign to upend DEI efforts nationwide, including leveraging the Justice Department and other agencies to investigate private companies pursuing training and hiring practices that conservative critics consider discriminatory against non-minority groups such as white men.

The executive order picks up where Trump's first administration left off: One of Trump’s final acts during his first term was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d0c4d221e865f4eda38df38485f6dd20">an executive order</a>&nbsp;banning federal agency contractors and recipients of federal funding from conducting anti-bias training that addressed concepts like systemic racism. Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3205d98ddb320f7edd37742373a47379">promptly rescinded that order</a>&nbsp;on his first day in office and issued a pair of executive orders — now rescinded — outlining a plan to promote DEI throughout the federal government.

While many changes may take months or even years to implement, Trump’s new anti-DEI agenda is more aggressive than his first and comes amid far more amenable terrain in the corporate world. Prominent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-meta-facebook-mcdonalds-8ab144803dab400ac901db1530f930e5">companies from Walmart to Facebook</a>&nbsp;have already scaled back or ended some of their diversity practices in response to Trump's election and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-diversity-corporations-affirmative-action-309864f08e6ec63a45d18ca5f25d7540">conservative-backed lawsuits</a>&nbsp;against them.

Here's a look at some of the policies and programs that Trump will aim to dismantle:

Diversity offices, training and accountability

Trump's order will immediately gut Biden's wide-ranging effort to embed diversity and inclusion practices in the federal workforce, the nation's largest at about 2.4 million people.

Biden had mandated all agencies to develop a diversity plan, issue yearly progress reports, and contribute data for a government-wide dashboard to track demographic trends in hiring and promotions. The administration also set up a Chief Diversity Officers Council to oversee the implementation of the DEI plan. The government released its first DEI progress report in 2022 that included demographic data for the federal workforce, which is about 60% white and 55% male overall, and more than 75% white and more than 60% male at the senior executive level.

Trump's executive order will toss out equity plans developed by federal agencies and terminate any roles or offices dedicated to promoting diversity. It will include eliminating initiatives such as DEI-related training or diversity goals in performance reviews.

Trump's order paves the way for an aggressive but bureaucratically complicated overhaul of billions of dollars in federal spending that conservative activists claim unfairly carve out preference for racial minorities and women.

The order does not specify which programs it will target but mandates a government-wide review to ensure that contracts and grants are compliant with the Trump administration’s anti-DEI stance. It also proposes that the federal government settle ongoing lawsuits against federal programs that benefit historically underserved communities,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-diversity-corporate-ruling-9a4e4d28b813d42c96341ed0475dcecc">including some that date back decades.</a>

Trump’s executive order is a “seismic shift and a complete change in the focus and direction of the federal government,” said Dan Lennington, deputy council for the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law &amp; Liberty, which has pursued several lawsuits against federal programs. The institute recently released an influential report listing dozens of programs the Trump administration should consider dismantling, such as credits for minority farmers or emergency relief assistance for majority-Black neighborhoods.

He acknowledged that unwinding some entrenched programs may be difficult. For example, the Treasury Department implements housing and other assistance programs through block grants to states that have their own methods for implementing diversity criteria.

It's not clear whether the Trump administration will target every initiative that stemmed from Biden's DEI executive order.

For example, the Biden administration banned federal agencies from asking about an applicant's salary history when setting compensation, a practice many civil rights activists say perpetuates pay disparities for women and people of color.

It took three years for the Biden administration to issue&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-pay-equity-ledbetter-women-2564198d081a0d62ec9cc55a48803fb3">the final regulations</a>, and Trump would have to embark on a similar rule-making process, including a notice and comment period, to rescind it, said Chiraag Bains, former deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Biden and now a nonresident senior fellow with Brookings Metro.

Noreen Farrell, executive director of gender rights group Equal Rights Advocates, said that she was hopeful that the Trump administration “will not go out of its way to undo the rule,” which she said has proved popular in some state and cities that have enacted similar policies.

And Biden's DEI plan encompassed some initiatives with bipartisan support, said Bains. For example, he tasked the Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council with expanding federal employment opportunities for those with criminal records. That initiative stems from the Fair Chance Act, which Trump signed into law in 2019 and bans federal agencies and contractors from asking about an applicant’s criminal history before a conditional job offer is made.

Bains said that's what Biden's DEI policies were about: ensuring that the federal government was structured to include historically marginalized communities, not institute “reverse discrimination against white men.”

Despite the sweeping language of Trump's order, Farrell said, “the reality of implementing such massive structural changes is far more complex.”

"Federal agencies have deeply embedded policies and procedures that can’t simply be switched off overnight,” she added.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737424092945.png" alt="Photo by Margo Martin, Special Assistant to the President" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Margo Martin, Special Assistant to the President</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;'s administration moved Tuesday to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/diversity-equity-and-inclusion">diversity, equity and inclusion</a>&nbsp;staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/">Click here to read the Executive Order.</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737552515796.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737552498096.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sex-gender-transgender-dei-order-245350b97e0c4dcc221fefc49ef44699">sweeping dismantling</a>&nbsp;of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs that could touch on everything from anti-bias training to funding for minority farmers and homeowners. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and insisted on restoring strictly “merit-based” hiring.The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by President Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It’s using one of the key tools utilized by the Biden administration to promote DEI programs across the private sector — pushing their use by federal contractors — to now eradicate them.The Office of Personnel Management in a Tuesday memo directed agencies to place DEI office staffers on paid leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday and take down all public DEI-focused webpages by the same deadline. Several federal departments had removed the webpages even before the memorandum. Agencies must also cancel any DEI-related training and end any related contracts, and federal workers are being asked to report to Trump's Office of Personnel Management if they suspect any DEI-related program has been renamed to obfuscate its purpose within 10 days or face “adverse consequences.”By Thursday, federal agencies are directed to compile a list of federal DEI offices and workers as of Election Day. By next Friday, they are expected to develop a plan to execute a “reduction-in-force action” against those federal workers.The memo was first reported by CBS News.The move comes after Monday's executive order accused former President Joe Biden of forcing “discrimination” programs into “virtually all aspects of the federal government” through “diversity, equity and inclusion” programs, known as DEI.That step is the first salvo in an aggressive campaign to upend DEI efforts nationwide, including leveraging the Justice Department and other agencies to investigate private companies pursuing training and hiring practices that conservative critics consider discriminatory against non-minority groups such as white men.The executive order picks up where Trump's first administration left off: One of Trump’s final acts during his first term was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d0c4d221e865f4eda38df38485f6dd20">an executive order</a>&nbsp;banning federal agency contractors and recipients of federal funding from conducting anti-bias training that addressed concepts like systemic racism. Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3205d98ddb320f7edd37742373a47379">promptly rescinded that order</a>&nbsp;on his first day in office and issued a pair of executive orders — now rescinded — outlining a plan to promote DEI throughout the federal government.While many changes may take months or even years to implement, Trump’s new anti-DEI agenda is more aggressive than his first and comes amid far more amenable terrain in the corporate world. Prominent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-meta-facebook-mcdonalds-8ab144803dab400ac901db1530f930e5">companies from Walmart to Facebook</a>&nbsp;have already scaled back or ended some of their diversity practices in response to Trump's election and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-diversity-corporations-affirmative-action-309864f08e6ec63a45d18ca5f25d7540">conservative-backed lawsuits</a>&nbsp;against them.Here's a look at some of the policies and programs that Trump will aim to dismantle:<h2>Diversity offices, training and accountability</h2>Trump's order will immediately gut Biden's wide-ranging effort to embed diversity and inclusion practices in the federal workforce, the nation's largest at about 2.4 million people.Biden had mandated all agencies to develop a diversity plan, issue yearly progress reports, and contribute data for a government-wide dashboard to track demographic trends in hiring and promotions. The administration also set up a Chief Diversity Officers Council to oversee the implementation of the DEI plan. The government released its first DEI progress report in 2022 that included demographic data for the federal workforce, which is about 60% white and 55% male overall, and more than 75% white and more than 60% male at the senior executive level.Trump's executive order will toss out equity plans developed by federal agencies and terminate any roles or offices dedicated to promoting diversity. It will include eliminating initiatives such as DEI-related training or diversity goals in performance reviews.<h2>Federal grant and benefits programs</h2>Trump's order paves the way for an aggressive but bureaucratically complicated overhaul of billions of dollars in federal spending that conservative activists claim unfairly carve out preference for racial minorities and women.The order does not specify which programs it will target but mandates a government-wide review to ensure that contracts and grants are compliant with the Trump administration’s anti-DEI stance. It also proposes that the federal government settle ongoing lawsuits against federal programs that benefit historically underserved communities,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-diversity-corporate-ruling-9a4e4d28b813d42c96341ed0475dcecc">including some that date back decades.</a>Trump’s executive order is a “seismic shift and a complete change in the focus and direction of the federal government,” said Dan Lennington, deputy council for the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law &amp; Liberty, which has pursued several lawsuits against federal programs. The institute recently released an influential report listing dozens of programs the Trump administration should consider dismantling, such as credits for minority farmers or emergency relief assistance for majority-Black neighborhoods.He acknowledged that unwinding some entrenched programs may be difficult. For example, the Treasury Department implements housing and other assistance programs through block grants to states that have their own methods for implementing diversity criteria.<h2>Pay equity and hiring practices</h2>It's not clear whether the Trump administration will target every initiative that stemmed from Biden's DEI executive order.For example, the Biden administration banned federal agencies from asking about an applicant's salary history when setting compensation, a practice many civil rights activists say perpetuates pay disparities for women and people of color.It took three years for the Biden administration to issue&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-pay-equity-ledbetter-women-2564198d081a0d62ec9cc55a48803fb3">the final regulations</a>, and Trump would have to embark on a similar rule-making process, including a notice and comment period, to rescind it, said Chiraag Bains, former deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Biden and now a nonresident senior fellow with Brookings Metro.Noreen Farrell, executive director of gender rights group Equal Rights Advocates, said that she was hopeful that the Trump administration “will not go out of its way to undo the rule,” which she said has proved popular in some state and cities that have enacted similar policies.And Biden's DEI plan encompassed some initiatives with bipartisan support, said Bains. For example, he tasked the Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council with expanding federal employment opportunities for those with criminal records. That initiative stems from the Fair Chance Act, which Trump signed into law in 2019 and bans federal agencies and contractors from asking about an applicant’s criminal history before a conditional job offer is made.Bains said that's what Biden's DEI policies were about: ensuring that the federal government was structured to include historically marginalized communities, not institute “reverse discrimination against white men.”Despite the sweeping language of Trump's order, Farrell said, “the reality of implementing such massive structural changes is far more complex.”"Federal agencies have deeply embedded policies and procedures that can’t simply be switched off overnight,” she added.